Louisiana state wildlife vet: 450 dead birds had trauma

Louisiana's state wildlife veterinarian says at least some of an estimated 450 birds that died in Pointe Coupee Parish may have flown into a power line. Jim LaCour says about 50 were near a power line off of La. 1, and the other 400 or more were about a quarter-mile away, all over the road as well as near the power line. He says the grackles, starlings, brown-headed cowbirds and red-winged blackbirds had injuries from broken beaks to broken backs. He says he saw some live birds that had broken wings but still ran too fast to catch. LaCour says it will be weeks before lab reports show whether there was underlying disease. The birds were found Monday in the Labarre community, about 30 miles from Baton Rouge and 3,000 from the Arkansas town where thousands of blackbirds fell from the sky late New Year's Eve.